


Never Let Me Go

by J_C_3



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anger, Anger Management, Angry Jim "Chief" Hopper, Angst, Angst and Drama, Angst with a Happy Ending, Christmas Fluff, Depression, Drama & Romance, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Joyce Byers/Jim "Chief" Hopper, Eventual Romance, F/M, Family, Family Drama, Family Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Good Parent Joyce Byers, Grumpy Jim "Chief" Hopper, Heavy Angst, Kind Of A Fix-It Fanfic, Post-Stranger Things 3, Protective Parent Jim "Chief" Hopper, Psychological Drama, Sad Jim "Chief" Hopper, Sad Joyce Byers, Slow Burn, Stranger Things Spoilers, Suicidal Thoughts, maybe some smut? we'll see
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:55:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23489443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/J_C_3/pseuds/J_C_3
Summary: An alternate reality where Hopper doesn't get trapped behind the Russian portal drill and makes it out alive with Joyce and Murray. Another difference is that the scene with Joyce asking Hopper on a date never happened, Instead rather, they end up becoming rather distant from each other. Hopper still feels for her but does she feel the same way back?After the collapse of the Starcourt Mall Joyce is busier than ever with her job at Melvald's as the customers flow back into downtown Hawkins. She want's to spend more time with her loved ones, but doesn't feel like she can afford the time. She most of all feels like she's betrayed her friendship with Hopper, but feels like she wants space after the events that took place this recent summer and the previous November, still recovering from the death of her former lover Bob Newby.Meanwhile Eleven and Mike continue to spend most of their days off with one another, which inspires Hopper to push his daughter to expand her friend circle, and hang out with more of the other kids like Will, or Max.
Relationships: Eleven | Jane Hopper & Jim "Chief" Hopper, Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler, Jonathan Byers/Nancy Wheeler, Joyce Byers/Jim "Chief" Hopper, Maxine "Max" Mayfield/Lucas Sinclair, Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington, Steve Harrington & Dustin Henderson, Will Byers & Eleven | Jane Hopper, Will Byers & Jim "Chief" Hopper, Will Byers/Mike Wheeler
Comments: 25
Kudos: 52





	1. The Aftermath

**Author's Note:**

> PLEASE READ (you don't have if you don't want):  
> In case you haven't noticed this is supposed to mostly be a Jopper fanfic. But don't fret if you wan't some other fluffy relationships in this, for I do plan to have other ships be in the fic.  
> This fic will cover topics like depression and suicidal thoughts so if that in any way makes you uncomfortable I completely understand and suggest you just take a pass on this one.  
> I am a sucker for angst and I love these characters so I'm basically gonna really explore their mental limits and see what I can do with them. Probably something along the lines of ruining literally everyones lives for no other reason except my own personal satisfaction and then have everyone recover and have a happy ending.  
> I don't know how long this fic will be, but I'm aiming for 20-25 chapters?
> 
> This fic is also not necessarily supposed to be professional. At the time I am writing this the world is currently struggling to overcome the coronavirus. So I'm stuck in my house, thinking about Stranger Things, and I told myself while I wait for season 4 to go back in production I should write some fanfics to give myself, and others who I know are seeking it, some Stranger Things content!  
> So if you have any gripes or issues with my writing or with whats happening, constructive criticism is always welcome.  
> I also encourage suggestions and ideas for what to do because I'm kinda just making this as I go. I mean I have a basic Idea of what I want this fic to lead to but for the most part this is me kinda winging it so suggestions and recommendations are always helpful!(especially with characterization! Let me know if you think something is unrealistic to the character or even if I'm not capturing how they speak right)  
> Anyway I hope you enjoy the fic.

Sirens sang and blared as the sky burned red with the flames of the ruined Starcourt Mall. 

Helicopters drifted through the light rain flashing their lights down at the surface littered with firemen and soldiers. People ran back and forth yelling commands and instructions at one another as they rushed to put out the smoldering remains of the once bright and beautiful building that stood before them. Paramedics rushed to help and attend the survivors of the terrible catastrophe that had just taken place mere moments ago. 

The Soldiers marched across the parking lot to the back of the mall where the elevator leading to the dreaded Russian base stood, while others towards the mall itself, where the corpse of a monster of unimaginable terror lay lifeless, dead.

Eleven, the girl who had been through it all, seen horrors beyond the comprehension of any normal person could handle, sat scared, exhausted and cold in one of the several ambulances parked to the side of the mall. She was wrapped in a blanket, leaning on the shoulder of a loving Mike Wheeler. He wrapped his arm around her, stroking hers for some kind of comfort in this time of crisis, telling her that it was all ok, that it was over now.

She hadn't said a word since what had happened back in the mall, remaining quiet and concerned, still struggling to take in what had happened. But over all of it, the eerie thought that it was still watching, the monster from a world among worlds, was still watching her, fueled with a maddening bloodthirsty rage and hatred for her. She shuddered to think of it, to think of it still being there, waiting with an insane patience for the next chance to come back and end everyone she cared about. Knowing that even though they had defeated a part of it, and closed the gate once again, it was still there.

She was pulled away from her thoughts by Will Byers rushing across the parking lot through the mess of soldiers and firemen. When she looked at what he was running to, she too was on her feet, throwing her blanket to the floor and propelling herself with every ounce of strength she had left in her worn and exasperated body.

Her eyes burst into tears before she even reached the warm embrace of her loving father. She struggled to stand as Jim Hopper held her tight, kneeling down to the floor with his daughter as they took in together the trauma they had just experienced.

"It's ok," he whispered to her tearfully.

"I'm here kid, I'm ok.. It's over..."

Eleven gripped the shoulders of her father harder as she pulled him as close as possible. She wanted nothing more than to be swept away from the sight of the burning mall, to go home with her dad, go to bed, and forget any of this happened, drift off into the mystical dreams of the human mind. She wanted to be with the people she loved and never be alone again, ever.

"Home," she croaked.

After several prolonged hours of Explaining what had happened to the military and the former Hawkins Lab director Sam Owens, the chief managed to borrow a police cruiser from the station as his old mode of transportation had been destroyed in an inconvenient engine malfunction.

He unlocked the car, and slumped down into the driver's seat, pinching the bridge of his nose and squeezing his tired eyes.  
"What a fucking night," he whispered to himself.

The passenger door opened and an equally exhausted Joyce Byers slid down into the seat next to him. She yawned and looked over at the chief.

"You doin' ok?" She asked, almost in a whisper.

Hopper sighed, and stared back at her. "Yeah.. yeah, just a bit bruised," he said, feeling around his now stitched up lip. "But you should see the other guy," he chuckled.

"How about you?"

"For being acted by evil Russians and taking down a huge flesh monster? I'm doing pretty good," She joked, with a small smile.

"I'm worried about my boys I guess, I mean what they've been through, what all those kids have been through.. I can't imagine, I really don't know if we're gonna be able to recover from this one as fast."

There was a pause.

"It's always tough, but they'll make it through, I mean they've got you," Hopper remarked.

Joyce laughed, taking it like a joke, even though the chief meant every word.

As he watched her smile fade, that beautiful smile, he felt something.

That feeling.

The backseat doors opened and in sat Will, Jonathan, and Eleven.

"You guys doing alright?" asked Joyce, turning in her seat to face them.

The three of them nodded.

And with that, Hopper started the car and set off to the Byers residence.

The drive home was very quiet, no one spoke a word, all lost in the deep thoughts within their heads.

Street lights illuminated the car with each pass like they were drifting among a maze of stars in the large dark vacuum of space, making an almost dream like atmosphere.

The kids had all fallen fast asleep, with Will leaning on Jonathan's shoulder, and Eleven leaning on Will's.

Hopper could feel his eyelids getting heavy. His head felt lighter than ever, like the road and car could just disappear beneath him and leave him floating across a vast endless road.  
The thin raindrops on the wind shield looked like stars on a dark open sky. He activated the windshield wipers and they were swished away like little galaxies.  
A soft feeling of relief filled him as the porch lights of the Byers home came into view. The gravel driveway crunched and crackled under the slowing tires of the car.

Home at last.

Hopper opened the car door, carefully lifting his daughter out of the car, cradling her almost. Joyce unlocked her dormant home as Jonathan woke up Will from his slumber.

As she stepped into her home, something felt different. It was as if for once in three years her home wasn't some catastrophically, cluttered mess. For once, it was just quiet, calm, peaceful.  
It was home.

"Alright, we'll bunk El with Will for the night," she said, leading Hopper to Will's room.

It was a colorful room, sketches of drawings hung on the walls with other movie posters, while comic books, drawing pads, writing and drawing utensils, and D&D props scattered the rest of the room. The bed thankfully was big enough for Will and Eleven.

Hopper gently rested her down on the bed's comfy sheets, removing her shoes and tucking her under the covers.

He brushed her hair out of her face, lightly stroking her cheek with his thumb. He smiled, the feeling that knowing she was going to be ok always made him smile, knowing that he would wake up the next morning and see his daughter's smile.

"Goodnight kid, sweet dreams," He said, leaning over and giving her a delicate kiss on her forehead, before turning off the lamp and leaving the room.

He saw Joyce standing outside of Jonathan's room in the hallway.

"Hey," he greeted.

"Hey, I was thinking that I could sleep with Jonathan and that you could have my bed so-"

"Joyce, I'll sleep on the couch, really, I don't mind," he insisted, making his way to the living room.

"Are you sure? I mean, it's a small couch, that's not gonna be very comfortable on your back and all."

"We nearly got blown up by a Russian portal drill and you're worrying about my back pains?" Hopper chuckled with a cheeky grin.

"Sorry, force of habit I've gotten after all these years, I guess I worry too much."

Hopper's smile faded, that wasn't exactly how he intended his message to be received, letting the conversation fall into an awkward silence.

"Er.. should I get you some pillows and a blanket?"

"Yeah, yes, that would be great," he stammered.

She nodded and walked towards her room to find them. He watched her walk away, feeling like he had completely dropped the ball with that conversation. He turned away and walked back to the living room, removing his large boots. He unbuttoned the shirt of the Russian uniform he had been using as a disguise, dropping it on the floor, even though he was tempted to just chuck it out the damn window and never look at it ever again. 

Hopper collapsed onto the couch, resting his head in his hands, still processing all he had been through in only the last three days. It all felt like a blur now that it was over, it felt like it hadn't even really happened.

He stretched his arms out, groaning. He suddenly realized how bruised and beaten he was after the last couple of brawls he had gotten into. Several bones in his body felt sore and worn, hurting him whenever he moved in a way that used them.

Joyce walked into the living room with a soft blanket and pillow in her hands. She noticed his troubled look.

"Are you sure you're ok Hop? Do you want to take you to the hospital or something?"

He snorted in amusement as he took off his socks. "If I went to the hospital for every bruise I got, I would be in financial debt."

She smiled at his attempt at humor, and handed him the blanket and pillow.

"Goodnight Hop," she whispered to him as she turned off the lights.

"Goodnight Joyce,"

There it was again, that feeling.

A feeling like no other, one of happiness, one of pain.

He lay on the couch, closing his eyes, and remembered for the a millionth time that he loved Joyce Byers.


	2. The Smell of Autumn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI PLEASE READ THIS!! I have now completed the chapter, sorry for anyone who read it and found it incomplete! I accidentally pressed the wrong button and posted it while I was still writing it, but now I've finished it! In this chapter I sort of wanted to explore how Hopper would warm up to Will a little more.  
> Anyway as usual suggestions for where I should go with this are encouraged and very weclome!

Autumn seeped through the small town of Hawkins Indiana like a cloud of mist.

It traveled through the forests, warping and coloring it's tall and lanky trees with the beautiful orange and red of the upcoming fall. It dried out the grass of the hillsides, leaving them crisp and brittle. Leaves littered the streets of the town, crawling and tumbling, skittering and brushing across it's old cracked streets, as the wind chimes sang aimlessly through the cool September mornings.

In the last two Months much had happened.

Downtown Hawkins was busier than ever with the reopening of several businesses such as the Radio Shack, and even the Hawk theater. All the stores that had gone on massive sales just to stay alive returned to their normal prices as they began to be overwhelmed with customers. All this was due to the people flowing back in from the destruction of the Starcourt Mall, which had previously dominated all of the small businesses in Hawkins during the previous summer. It all made the town feel more alive than ever.

Mayor Larry Kline had been arrested under charges of what was now known as the "Hawkins Scandal," after having been held accountable for attempting to disguise city funds through shell corporations hidden within the Starcourt Mall. Chief Hopper received the honor of arresting the corrupt mayor himself, and didn't hold back from rubbing in his delicious enjoyment of it every second of Kline's arrest.

The chief and his daughter had spent the last 2 months at the Byers residence, having to share the house while the chief had to rebuild his severely mangled cabin. Jagged Holes lay gaping in the walls of just about every room, while all of the furniture in the small home was either damaged or destroyed, and half of the roof had been completely torn apart.

It was about seven-thirty in the morning when he felt a light tapping on his face. At first he didn't know if it was real, like his life was complete fiction he had dreamt over a long slumber, and he would wake up as a child and wonder how he came up with it all. But he then remembered that he did have a life, that everything he had experienced was very real, and that he was being tapped on the face.

Hopper's eyes fluttered open as his consciousness brought him back to the importance of reality. He looked directly above him, at first blinded by the light shining through an open window. As his eyes focused and re-adjusted to the new lighting, he saw his daughter leaning above his head, staring at him curiously. She poked him in the face again.

"Are you.. awake?"

Hopper groaned, closing his eyes once more, silently telling her "no,"

His lack of response was gifted with a sudden lift and tilt of the couch, rolling him off and onto the floor.

There was a loud _Klump!_ as he hit the hard wooden surface.

"Ow! What in the hell?"

"It's seven-thirty, Joyce said you needed to be awake at seven-thirty," commanded Eleven as her father scrambled off the floor.

"I'm awake, Jesus I'm awake! No need for throwing me," he remarked, gesturing surrender with his hands.

"What does Joyce want me up for anyway?" He asked, fumbling around the living room for his undershirt.

"She left you this," she said, plastering a sticky note to his forehead,

He pulled it off his face and read it over.

_Hop, I had to leave early this morning, could you take Will to school for me? Thanks._

_PS: Don't forget to pick up your wood shipment at noon!_

He sighed, wanting to just fall back onto the couch but knowing that he had to fulfill his responsibilities.

Standing up he trudged over to the armchair where his wrinkled uniform lay.

"Can I have Eggos today?" Asked Eleven excitedly, as the chief wrestled his pants around his waist.

"Again?" He frowned.

"Fine, but make em' yourself,"

He walked out of the living room and to the kitchen aggressively, opening the fridge so fast that all the inside contents nearly flew out the door shelves. He snatched a can of beer, closed the fridge, then opened it again to grab a second can for the trip. He didn't have time to eat breakfast, nor did he really care, there were donuts at the station anyway.

He returned to the living room, slumping down on the couch, nearly breaking it with his size and weight.

"Is the kid even awake yet?" He asked, pulling his enormous boots onto his large feet.

Eleven shrugged, far too mesmerized by the toasting of her mouthwateringly delicious Eggo waffles. The chief rolled his eyes, still curious about her mysterious obsession with a brand of waffles.  
Once his boots were on he stomped over to the main hallway of the house.

"Byers!" He shouted sternly enough to send chills down the spine of just about anyone.

Just then Will Byers scrambled out of his room with a much too large backpack over his shoulder, looking very rushed.

"I lost track of time, sorry!" he said, snatching one of Eleven's freshly toasted waffles, to which she expressed a very offended facial expression.

"Well kid Incase you haven't noticed I gotta a job to get to on top of dropping you off to school, so move a lil' faster," he ordered, cracking open one of the beer cans and guzzling it down, spilling some on himself while the kids watched in revulsion. 

The chief led Will to his new Hawkins Chief of Police Chevrolet Blazer, which had replaced his old one that had been destroyed due to an attack by a Russian hitman. The two climbed inside and left for Hawkins High School. It was Will's freshman year, and so far he had been absolutely smothered with homework and other assignments. For someone who barely got to experience middle school, the ability to keep up with his classmates and peers wasn't an easy task, leading the young teenager to feel overwhelmed and even sometimes irritated. Hopper understood these feelings of stress and anxiety, knowing what it was like to undergo the pressure of keeping up with everyone and trying to fit in. But the chief had had an advantage at the time, unlike Will, he was never a complete outcast, if anything you might have been able to consider him one of the popular kids.

"What music are you into?" He asked as he cleared his voice, trying to start conversation with the despondent young boy.

Will shrugged.

"I mean, I kinda like The Clash I guess..." He said quietly.

Hopper chuckled, reaching for the radio. "The Clash eh? lemme see if they're on."

Within a couple of seconds the radio burst with the musical plucks at an electric guitar of _Should I Stay or Should I Go?_

Hopper slapped the steering wheel to the beat, bobbing his head. Will looked over, at first confused and weirded out by the goofy man jamming it out next to him, but then smiled realizing the man was only trying to make fun out of an awkward car ride.

"I remember now, this is your favorite song ain't it?"

"Yeah," he said, partially embarrassed.

"Aw come on kid don't be ashamed for liking what you like, it ain't bad music!" Hopper encouraged.

The Truck skidded to a stop outside the Hawkins High School. Many students of many ages flushed into the building like ants. Will stared out the window for a moment, everyday felt like the first day again, the anxiety of getting out of the car and walking in with everyone else, the fear of being around so many people that you didn't even know still hung high in the air. He gulped.

Hopper noticed the young teen's fear, his mind rushing with what he could do or say to help. "Hey, you go on in there, just make it through the day, I'll pick you up and take you to get burgers, deal?" he said, resting his elephant sized hands on Will's shoulder.

Will laughed at the suggestion, it reminded him of when he was little when his mom would offer him ice cream.

"deal."

Hopper watched as the young teen walked into the school with everybody else. He didn't really know why he felt the need to be somewhat of a father figure for the boy, maybe it was because Will never really had a proper one? That bastard Lonnie had abused the poor child up until Joyce divorced him. Hopper had seen what Will had been through, maybe the kid could use a father figure to get him through these tough times, through high school, maybe that's why the chief was doing it.

Joyce Byers stood by the cash register at Melvald's General Store looking absolutely horrified. She had never seen so many customers in the over ten years she had worked in the store. Customers had flowed back into downtown in the past two months filling up all the stores every single day. On the plus side her salary had gone up sufficiently, as the store was making ten times more money than it had been making in July, but on a major downside she had been working twice as hard to serve the needy people than invaded the store every single day. It had been so long since business was well she didn't even remember several of the items the store was selling. 

She finished up with a customer and buried her face in her hands, her back hurting and her head too. Sometimes Joyce wished she could just run out the building and go home to her bed and her boys. It's not like the condescending stares from the town's residents would matter to her, everyone already thought she was a total nutcase anyway. Usually she didn't mind being thought of as crazy, seeing as she wasn't the most social person, but it only became a problem for her when it affected how the people close to her were treated. Like how Will and Jonathan were treated at school, or the odd looks that Hopper would always get whenever he was around her in public. 

"Excuse me?" asked a young man, "Could you show me where you guys keep the cereal?"

"Can you not see the fucking sign that says 'food' on it pointing to the 'food' isle?" Is what she wanted to say, but she didn't. Instead she straightened her back and put on a fake smile.

"It'll be just down three isles and to the right," she said in a nice tone.

The man strolled off and she dropped her head back into her hands.

"Excuse me ma'am?" Said a voice.

"What now?" She groaned, looking up. She was surprised when she saw the smiling face of Jim Hopper staring at her. His bushy mustache was now accompanied by a scraggly beard, which made him look older as little gray hairs scattered themselves across his chin. Stammering, she greeted him.

"O-oh! I didn't realize it was you. Sorry I didn't mean to- The way I said that W-"

"Joyce it's fine, I know you could never mean to insult this charming smile," He joked sarcastically.

She laughed. "So what brings you here?"

"Anything to get me out of the office,"

She took a look at his watch, it was past noon. "Did you pick up your wood?"

"Yeah, it's sitting in my truck. Hey I was thinking I'd pick up Will today, you know take a little stress off of those shoulders of yours." There was more to it than that.

"Oh, You really don't have to Hop, I know you're busy too."

"No really I insist." He said, placing his hands on the cash register counter.

There was a frozen moment in silence, as the two momentarily locked eye contact.

"Well? How have you been? I mean we haven't really gotten the chance to sit down and talk, much lately..." Hopper asked.

The two had been so busy patching up the holes in their lives placed by the tragedy that happened, that they really hadn't been socializing much at all. He wondered if there was something the two of them could do together, maybe a movie night on the couch, or even a hike in the woods?

"Hop?" Called Joyce.

He snapped out of his thoughts.

"Huh? Sorry I spaced out for a second, all this paperwork might be getting to me." He chuckled.

 _Idiot._ He thought to himself.

The conversation suddenly faded, and what was left between the two was a despondent silence, like the two of them were lost in their own separate worlds. Hopper knew that his last attempt at getting close to Joyce didn't end very much in his favor, and rather led to an entire week of arguing, so now he felt like he didn't know what to do. When did getting close to some one become so damn hard?

"Well, I guess I'll talk to you later then?" Said Joyce awkwardly. 

Hopper looked at her, a brief expression of sadness brushed his face, but it was gone as soon as it appeared. He still felt for her. Love.

"Yeah.. Yeah I'll- I'll talk to you later, see you tonight." He said, giving a little wave as he made his way to the door.

 _What the fuck was that? You're over forty years old and you can't have a normal conversation with a woman?_ He thought while pulling at his dirty blonde hair.

He continued to bash himself with these self deprecating thoughts throughout the rest of the day. He felt like a teenager again.

He pulled up in the parking lot of Hawkins High as the students began to pour out of the building. He scanned the crowd with his tired eyes, until he spotted Will walking with his friends Mike, Dustin, Lucas, and Max. A sudden cloud of guilt hung over the chief as he saw the five of them walking out of the school so happily, feeling like Eleven should be with them. It never really felt right, excluding her from everything and keeping her indoors all the time, yeah she had gotten somewhat of a taste of freedom during the summer but that was gone now. What kind of father doesn't let their own daughter be with her friends. It wasn't like they never saw her, but they only got to see her if they came to the Byers residence. It felt like he was costing her friends, and the average teenage life she deserves. Maybe it was time to get Eleven out of the house more often? Smiling when he thought of how happy it would make her to truly be with her friends like a normal kid.

Will waved goodbye to his friends and stepped into Hopper's truck.

"Hey kid, had a good day?"

"Yeah, it was decent, are we still going to go get burgers?"

"We sure are, you want Burger King?"

"Yeah,"

Hopper smiled, it felt good to warm up with Will a bit, it made him think about the future, maybe one day he may just be more than a father figure to the kid. He shook his head in disapproval of his own thoughts, realizing that he was getting way to ahead of himself. It wasn't like anything of that level would happen anytime soon, for all he knew he was feeling unrequited love, for all he knew Joyce may not even like him the way he likes her.  
He sighed, and drove off to eat burgers with the son of the woman he loved like it was any other normal activity, thinking about the future and what it held for him.


	3. A Night At The Byers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eleven, Max and the boys all go for a massive sleepover party at the Wheeler's, leaving Hopper and Joyce alone at the Byers residence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AT LAST I have finished the next chapter!! So sorry this one took forever but it's finally here and I can't wait for you guys to read it. This chapter is a lot more Jopper centric which made it super fun to write and I really hope everyone enjoys. I look forward to any feed back you guys may have and will start working on the next chapter as soon as I can!

For a day in autumn, it felt hotter than ever outside.

Jim Hopper wiped away his forehead as it dripped like melting ice. His face was red from the heat and his own skin was hot to the touch. His shirt was submerged in the wetness seeping from his body, pools of sweat lay under his armpits, a lake of it at his chest, soaking his green plaid shirt. The roof he was currently working on burned from it's exposure to the sun, making it agonizing to even so much as lay a finger on. In fact every single surface that stood outside radiated with waves of burning flame. 

A late September afternoon felt like one in July, the beginning of Autumn felt like the middle of Summer. Of all days this was the absolute worst day for the weather to change so drastically, for the Hoppers were rebuilding their cabin.

The chief hammered down on the roof of his home, ensuring that the new wooden planks he had been installing wouldn't be coming apart or flying off anytime soon. Everything about his movements were aggressive, his face was angry with an almost crazy scowl as his teeth gnawed down on the nails he kept in between them. He was more irritable than ever, ready to breathe fire at anyone who dared to speak to him unprecedentedly.

Down below Eleven attempted to remove all the planks that were far too destroyed so that her father could replace them with the new ones. She didn't struggle in the slightest to rip them off of the wall with nothing but the sheer strength from her mind. They splintered and snapped as she tore them with the force of a hundred magnetic pulls.

She almost felt bad for getting an easier job while her father up above was making it very clear that he was struggling, what with the exaggerated hammering and occasional yell of frustration. But rather than asking what else she could do to help she decided she would just leave him be.

She picked up the remains of the older broken planks she had taken apart, holding them in a small stack in her arms. She walked around to the front of the cabin, thinking about what could put her father in a good mood.

Just then a bicycle bell ringed from a distance. Eleven dropped her wood and went pale white as Mike Wheeler rolled up on the drive way of the cabin. As much as Eleven enjoyed spending time with Mike, she knew that the teenage boy was by far the last person the chief wanted to see.

Mike stepped off of his bike, letting it rest against a nearby tree. Eleven rushed up to him, checking over her shoulder obsessively to make sure her father wasn't looking.

"What are you doing here?" She hissed.

"It's Saturday, I thought you said you wanted to hang out at noon?" He said frowning as he scanned her panicked face.

"I know, but you need to leave, now."

"Wait, I'm confused, what's going on here exactly? Did I do something wrong or-"

Just then a voice boomed from above.

"HEY!!" Came the very familiar yell of the chief.

Eleven's face turned white as her father came down from the roof, stomping towards the terrified teenagers. 

"You know, a real man doesn't just stand there and watch Wheeler, why don't you act like one and do some work huh?" He snapped, tossing a spare hammer at Mike, who caught it awkwardly.

"What?! Why should I have to help? It's not even my cabin," he protested, realizing immediately afterward his mistake.

Hopper turned and faced the young teen, his furrowed brow so heavy on his eyes it looked like it could crush his entire face.

"You wanna test me right now Wheeler? Cause I'll tell you here and now that I'm not in the mood for any of your bullshit, you hear me?" The chief said sternly

Mike nodded, clearly intimidated. He looked over at Eleven, visually asking for salvation as the chief led him to the pile of planks.

She rolled her eyes in defeat as she followed the two.  


An hour passed as the three trudged through the millennium-long process of repairing the cabin. Mike had looked extremely anxious the entire time, as if he was expecting to get punched in the face by the chief if he so much as spoke another word. Hopper strictly showed Mike how and where to hammer in the planks correctly, making sure the kid didn't damage anything or hammer something in the wrong spot.

The chief had been working mostly one on one with Mike as Eleven continued to remove all the old planks of her cozy little home. It wasn't his favorite task, but although he didn't have the best relationship with Mike, he didn't mind the extra helping hand, even if it wasn't voluntary.

Just as he began hammering another nail, a car pulled into the driveway.

Out stepped Joyce Byers, waving at the hard working trio, carrying multiple bags of packed lunches.

Hop looked over, his cheeks rising to his eyes as he gave a smile, his attention to the task at hand completely pulled away like he was a fish baited by a hook. He couldn't describe the feeling of life that sprouted in his heart whenever he saw Joyce. It felt like any problems he previously had fizzled out of existence as she brought her positive and bright personality to the room. And even better she made him feel comfortable to just be himself, a feeling he similarly shared when around his daughter, but with Joyce it was different. Eleven made him feel like a better person, Joyce made him feel like he could actually be one. 

Suddenly a burst of pain exploded through his body, electrocuting his thoughts to ash as he accidentally hammered his thumb with full force.

"SON OF A BITCH!!" He shouted in agony, causing an entire flock of birds to fly away, and a startled Mike Wheeler to stumble over from fright. 

He grimaced in pain, shaking his hand frantically through the air as if he was expecting to shake the pain off.

Joyce rested the bags by the car, rushing over.

"Jesus Hop, are you ok?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine, just a bruise," He said, wincing as he stared at his stinging thumb.

Joyce took his hand and examined the bruising damage.

"I think you should call it a day," she said. "Do you have any ice?"

"Yeah, the fridge still works, there might be some in the freezer," He said, following Joyce as she led him inside.

The inside of the cabin was a desert of dust. Most of the furniture had been removed while the cabin was being rebuilt, only things such as the fridge and television had been left in the house. Joyce, turned on the remaining of the working lights, allowing the structure to be illuminated. She opened the freezer, only to find no ice and instead several month old frozen food.

"There's no ice, so these frozen peas will have to do," she said, snatching a bag out of the fridge.

First she cleaned his bleeding thumb with a spare towel, then gave the bag of frozen peas to Hopper, who covered his thumb with it, letting out a sigh of relief as the icy package cooled his throbbing thumb.

"That's better"

There was a pause as the two sat at the little red dinner table by the kitchen.

"How've you been?" The chief asked suddenly, "We haven't talked much."

Joyce waited momentarily before answering the question. "I'm good. Will's still recovering from everything, not to mention he's been stressed with school, I've been doing my best to help him out."

"He's lucky to have someone like you," He said.

The door to the cabin suddenly opened and in walked Eleven and Mike.

"Hi, is this a bad time?" asked Mike.

"What is it kid?" Asked Hopper, bitter annoyance making its way into his voice.

"I was just wondering, only if it's ok with you, if El could come over to my house for a sleepover?"

"A sleepover?" Questioned the chief condescendingly.

"Yeah, we were gonna invite the rest of the party for a big weekend sleepover. You know, watch movies, play some D&D, stuff like that. I thought it would be a good idea to invite El," explained mike. "Only with your permission of course!" He added.

"That sounds like a great Idea, I'm sure Will would love that," said Joyce kindly, while Hopper continued to look unconvinced.

"Will you guys be supervised?" He asked.

"Yeah, my parents will be upstairs the entire time."

"Please dad? I never get to go anywhere," Eleven asked.

Something about that statement gave the chief a stab of guilt. Maybe it was time to be a little more lenient with what he could let his daughter do. Maybe he should agree, for Eleven.

Hopper took a deep breath and looked at Mike.

"Fine, but no funny business, got that? If not for my sake for your friends,"

Mike blushed in embarrassment as Eleven giggled beside him. And with that the two teens left the cabin, rushing off to go eat lunch.

Joyce looked over and gave him a thumbs up along with an approving smile.

"That went well!"

Hopper frowned, "what do you mean?"

"I mean you didn't threaten to kill him, you didn't even yell at the kid," Joyce chuckled.

Hop laughed, remembering how much he enjoyed the support Joyce showed for him, all the more a reason to love her. 

Just then an idea popped into his head.

"Hey, I was wondering. Since the kids are gonna be out for the night, why don't we do something?" He asked, a smile growing on his face.

"Do something? Like what?"

"I mean, maybe we could make some dinner, watch a movie or somethin' like that," He suggested, feeling confident.

Joyce gave him an almost sad smile, "Sure, that sounds like it would be fun."

Hopper's heart lit up with excitement. Finally he was getting a chance to get closer to Joyce, they had grown distant from each other the last couple of months and it had felt agonizing. But this was a chance, a light in the everlasting darkness.

A waterfall crashed above his head, soaking into his hair and along his scalp. It streamed down his face, across his lips and dripped off his hairy chin. It rushed down his neck and flowed against his spine. He felt himself being cleansed as the water doused his body. The noise of rain filled the room, like he was standing under a storm in the park on a cool autumn evening. The warm water was soothing against his soft and sore skin, baptizing him as he stood under its luxurious stream. Grabbing the bar of soap he slid it across the many surfaces of himself. The shower was one of the most therapeutic places for Jim Hopper, he felt all his stress, all of his problems wash away with every drop of water that landed on him. It was also a fantastic place to console his thoughts, as he was deep in how to give Joyce Byers a good evening.

He wondered what he could do to make her feel happy, what he could say to make her laugh. Making her feel comfortable was his number one task, nothing to forward, this was just two friends having a fun evening together.

It was just them in the house as Hop had already dropped off Will and Eleven to the Wheeler's house. He felt strong dislike for Mike, but he couldn't help but beam with happiness as he saw his daughter run off with her friends, getting a chance to live like any other teenager. He could already imagine how she wouldn't want to leave the next morning, having had such a great time.

He shut off the shower, and the water was reduced to little drips from the shower head.

Hop yanked the curtain aside, it's hooks screeching across the rail. He snatched a towel from it's holder and smothered it into his face. Once he dried himself off he wrapped the towel around his waist and began to prepare for his night with Joyce. Sitting on the toilet lid was a pair of denim jeans, and a handsome maroon button down. He dressed himself delicately, making sure not to wrinkle the fabric of his clothing. For a bit of extra style he was sure to leave a couple of the buttons by the collar unbuttoned, and rolled up his sleeves, folding them neatly. Once he was dressed he tended to his hair, having it swept back as usual, dabbing a little gel in it too. And for his beard he groomed it with care, leaving it clean and soft.

The chief chuckled to himself, feeling embarrassed for caring so much about his appearance, something that hadn't concerned him so intensely since his high school years.

He stepped out of his thoughts and out of the bathroom, walking out into the hallway. The distant sounds of classic jazz was heard coming from the kitchen, along with the wondrous smell of spaghetti. Hopper walked along the hallway and entered the kitchen, where Joyce Byers stood stirring their evening meal. She noticed his presence and turned, a look of brief surprise ran across her face as she examined his outfit.

"You look nice," she complimented, to which he chuckled in self pride.

He walked over to the cooking pot where she stood by.

"You've already started?"

"Well yeah, dinner wasn't gonna cook itself with you spending so long in the bathroom," she said, pinching him with shame as he now felt bad for wasting so much time getting ready like an over self conscious teenager rather than helping cook dinner like a gentleman.

"Is there anything you want me to do?" He asked guiltily

"Yeah, the meatballs still need to be put in the oven, I already pre heated it," She said, pleased with his offer.

Hopper smiled and picked up the tray, feeding the oven the meatballs as he slid them inside.

The two of them worked in the kitchen for several more minutes, Joyce laughing as Hopper told her jokes to entertain her. He couldn't stop smiling to himself, this is exactly what he had wanted, just some time with Joyce, where they could both finally act like normal people and just have a normal night with each other.

They completed crafting their dinner, setting their plates on the table where they would sit across from one another. Joyce grabbed a bottle of wine out of a cabinet, setting down on the table.

Hopper spun his fork in the luscious long strings of spaghetti, hooking it on the utensil and consuming it. It was warm and tasty, wonderfully made.

"Mmm! You put my cooking to shame with this," He complimented, digging into his food like a hungry bear.

"Well your cooking isn't hard to top," she teased, to which Hopper pretended to be offended.

He opened the bottle of wine, and poured himself a glass, then offered to pour for Joyce, who politely accepted.

She sipped her glass, "gosh, I can't remember the last time I even had wine."

Hopper chuckled, "well we don't get many chances to get so fancy."

"Yeah, like out of the two chances to get fancy we've gotten," she laughed. "senior prom and our weddings."

"Gosh Senior Prom o' 58, feels like another life now," he said, his brain struggling to remember the events of that night.

"Who did you go with again?" Joyce asked, with a cheeky smile, as she already knew.

Hopper winced in embarrassment, "Er... I went with uh... Chrissy Carpenter."

Joyce chuckled in amusement from across the table, "And how did that go?"

He reluctantly said as he drank his wine, "well she wasn't really interested in dancing. If I remember she was trying to pull me off to Mr. Cooper's classroom for uh... personal affairs."

The two laughed.

"Who did you go with again?" Hop asked.

Joyce groaned, "Lonnie."

Even hearing the name made the chief scowl.

"And he couldn't dance to save his own life either, I swear he stepped on my toes at least fifty times!"

She took another swig of her wine, "Gosh it all feels so in the past now, you know? What happened?"

"Life goes on I guess... just keeps moving, whether we like it or not. And I mean it isn't all terrible, yeah sometimes it's sad but... sometimes it can be surprising, you know? Happy even," Hopper said, his eyes full of thought and introspection.

Joyce nodded in agreement, "I mean it's the little things you know? They seem so insignificant at the time but it's the little things in life that mean the most to us."

"Yeah, and even after all that we've been through maybe there was some good to come out of it. I mean, if Will hadn't gone missing I would've never met El, or reconnected with you... I'd still be alone, and who knows what I could've done to myself," Hop explained, sadness in his eyes.

"Life's a funny thing Hop,"

"Yeah, sure is."

The two continued their meal while taking the conversation in a lighter direction, talking about their tastes in music, and parenting tips. They had been so caught up in conversation they hadn't even realized they had finished an entire bottle of wine. The night was going well, and both of them felt happy and relaxed, enjoying their dinner. It was like a dream come true for Hop, for so long he had waited for a night like this with Joyce, just the two of them, no monsters, no teenagers, just a dinner with Joyce Byers. 

They wrapped up their meal, and began washing their dirty dishes, leaving them on the drying rack. 

Once they were done they moved to the living room, sitting on the couch where Hopper had slept the last 2 months. Joyce had pulled out another bottle of wine, and the two sat down for a drink.  
They guzzled the second bottle down as they continued reflecting on their pasts and made fun of their older selves as the radio continued to play songs of the 50s, bringing the two back to a simpler time.

"Oh god this music is pullin' me back! I remember listening to this on the radio whenever I'd take a drive around town," Hop said loudly.

"Yeah! I heard a couple of these whenever me and Karen would go to the local clothing store to check out the latest outfits."

Hopper, tapped his feet to the music, feeling it coarse through his ears and down his veins. He snapped his fingers in sync with every part of the beat, having it still wired in his brain from so many years ago.

"You jamming it out over there Hop?" Joyce giggled.

"Oh this ain't jamming it out Byers," He retorted enthusiastically. "As a matter o' fact,"

The chief got up off the couch, and began to shake his hips around and dance to the music that filled the room.

Joyce laughed boisterously, "whattaya doing!?"

"Looks like The chief's still got it." he said, his steps slow yet well performed, as if he had done this very dance before.

He let out a hand, "Can I invite you to a dance?" 

"You're crazy," she chortled as she took Hopper's large paw.

The two spun and waltzed as they danced around each other, moving at different times and out of pace with one another as they performed their different styles. Hopper's movements were heavy and loose, while Joyce moved swiftly and gracefully. He took her hand, and spun her around as she passed by him, stretching their grasp and then pulling back together like magnets, their bright smiles illuminating the room. A mistletoe of happiness hung in the air as the living room became a dance floor under their feet. They maneuvered around each other, as if avoiding one another before reacquainting themselves in a ballet of old memories and nostalgia. Their movements lacked elegance, but spoke of intentional ridiculousness, as they became 17 again. They spun in circles around one another, eyes locked.

"Ooh Mizz Byers you suuure know how to dance!" Hopper complimented noisily.

"Oh you shut up!," She guffawed, bumping into him and holding on as they crashed into the couch with booming laughter, panting for breath.

"Jezzuz Christ we're drunk!" Hopper roared in exaggerated amusement.

Joyce cackled beside him as they lay slumped on the couch. They lay there for many minutes, possibly an hour, laughing, happy.

And then there it was.

That spark.

The feeling.

A burning flame never quenched until it's met it's heart's desire.

He loved her, he loved her so much he could die for her. The thoughts racing through his head like fireflies in a jar.

He took a big long sigh and without even realizing what he was doing he blurted, "I love you."

Joyce looked up, confused, then giggled. "Shut up, your drunk,"

Hopper stared into her eyes deeply, the three words circling through his head over, and over, and over again. He hadn't even meant to say it, but now he wanted to say it again, for it felt like she hadn't even heard him. He opened his mouth to say it again, but he couldn't, his voice had gone away, snatched by his whirling mind.

"Right well, I think that's... enough for tonight... we should get to bed," She yawned, pressing her hands on his chest to lift herself off him and the couch. 

She stumbled off to the kitchen, turning off the radio, and then the lights. It was as if when she did so the hopes of the man on the couch died too, like he had just lost a chance to get what he wanted. It was right there, a taste, a taste of his deepest dreams, of his deepest wants, dangling in front of him, then snatched away before he could even touch the surface. Sure, there were always more chances, but it didn't stop the pain that swelled in his heart, the tears that burned his eyes. He wiped his face away before Joyce could see, pretending everything was completely fine.

"You ok Hop?" She asked, as if she had already recovered from her intoxication.

"Yeahh, course I am," He responded sluggishly.

"You sure?"

"Mhmmm"

"Ok, goodnight," she said, disappearing down the hallway.

"I love you," he said again, but she was already gone.

He repeated it again, as if hoping she would somehow hear his croaking voice.

"I love you," his voice fading, almost a whisper.

His eyelids fell, and his words vanished into the darkness of the living room as his consciousness passed into a world of dreams.


	4. Lake Tippecanoe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hopper is as usual being a complete teddybear of a father with El, as he takes she and Will on a bonding fishing trip by Lake Tippecanoe!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY PLEASE READ!!  
> Hey! Glad to see some people still read this fic. I wanted to address that this chapter is less Jopper centric and meant to have some fun fluff with Hopper and the kids.  
> I would love some feedback on what you guys think, and any suggestions on where I can go with this!

Jim Hopper sat silently against a tree in the cool October afternoon.

Birds and other nearby wildlife creatures sounded from the forest around him, bringing life to the world among the trees. Crickets sounded their repetitive jingles beneath the grassy surface of the earth as the chilly winds brushed across the land. The sun shined brightly above, illuminating the terrain with a yellow glow. The clouds curled and rolled across the bright blue sky, splashed along the heavens like a beautiful painting, one you might see in a museum. The long snake like telephone wires hung over the trees, swooping up and down, and up and down as they went from one telephone pole to another. 

The chief was dressed casually rather than in his usual uniform, instead covered in a brown plaid shirt, jeans, a baggy gray vest, and a baseball cap. A cigarette dangled from his mouth, which hung slightly open as he stared off into space. He took an inhale of smoke, letting it fill his lungs, the nicotine rushing through his bloodstream, and then exhaled, watching the gray misty ribbons leave his mouth and nose.

Beside him sat a large cooler, 3 long fishing poles, and other important tools. To take stress off of Joyce Byers' shoulders and give her a break from the kids and work, Hopper had offered to take the Will and Eleven on a Sunday fishing trip. The chief had learned how to fish at a young age with his grandfather, who used to take him on trips when he was just a boy. He had learned a lot of his physical skills with his grandfather, like how to chop trees and wood, how to go hunting, how to make tents or shelter, all of the above. He had always been fond of his grandfather, considering the elderly man his father figure much more than his actual father, who didn't seem to care that much about raising him in the first place.

It had always been important to Hop that he was a good dad, and a good man, he wanted to be there for his kids, it made him feel like he could live up to what his own father couldn't.

He took in another breath of smoke, continuing to wait patiently for the kids. He smiled to himself, proud that he was getting the chance to pass on the memories he had shared with his grandfather, and now could be that figure to Eleven and Will, who both needed it. Hopper hated to think about how they had both suffered with their previous ones. Eleven had been probed and experimented on like a lab rat, while Will had been abused and shamed by Lonnie.

Thinking about that name, Lonnie, that goddamn son of a bitch, it brought hatred to Hop's soul. The very name made him clench his fists and almost go red with anger. It hurt to think about what that horrible person had done to Joyce, Will, and Jonathan. And then there was Brenner, a complete and utter psychopath willing to do whatever it takes to get what he wanted from Eleven, torturing her with isolation and manipulative expectations when she refused to comply.

He sighed, letting his fists rest and his body relax. They were both in better hands now, him and Joyce will always do whatever it takes to protect them.

"I'm never gonna be like them," Hopper promised to the forest.

"Never."

Moments later the two teenagers walked out the front door, Eleven rushed out excitedly while Will was held back by his mother, who wasn't letting him go anywhere without a hug.

Eleven hurried over and dropped down next to her dad, she grabbed him by the arm and snuggled up close to him lovingly. He couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with the cuteness of the young girl to his side dressing so similarly to him, aside from her purple and blue patterned t-shirt, she wore jeans, a vest, and baseball cap too.

"Hey kid," he chuckled, beaming from ear to ear as he put an arm around his daughter.

"You ready to do some fishing?" He asked massaging her arm and leaning closer to give her a little kiss on the head.

"Yeah! But, Max told me that fishing is really boring..." she said worriedly.

Hopper frowned, "uh... well... It can be sometimes I guess, but we'll still have fun."

"I don't care," she smiled, "I get to be with you."

Hop took the compliment gratefully, "That's right, and hey, don't be afraid to spend some time with Will too, he's a good kid, you guys could be friends," he encouraged.

He looked back to the porch, Will was now walking over, Joyce waving at them.

"Will! You ready for some fishing?" The chief said enthusiastically, standing up from his seated position against the tree and picking up the fishing poles.

"Sure, I've never really done it before though."

"Ah don't worry 'bout it, that's why I'm here, here take this cooler for me would ya?" He said, almost mumbling while his cigarette bounced up and down as he spoke. He picked up the large cooler and handed it to Will, who he accompanied to his chevy blazer. 

Once they had packed everything the three of them climbed into the car, Hopper in the driver's seat while Will and Eleven sat in the back.

As they the car glided down the winding roads, Hopper looked at the rear view mirror, noticing how the kids were staring out of their respective windows. He cleared his throat, attempting to make small talk.

"So uh... Will, how's school?"

Will looked over, "It's ok I guess, homework sucks though,"

"Yep, it always does" Hop nodded.

The car fell back into silence, only the hum of the tires rolling down the road sounded as they made their way across Hawkins.

The chief continued his try at small talk, talking to the both of them this time, "Hey I know fishing ain't the most riveting thing you'll ever do, but just keep in mind that this is for Joyce, she's been real stressed with work an all, and I think the least we can do is give her a little time for herself, you know?"

"Yeah," both teens responded simultaneously.

"Good, we're almost there."

Lake Tippecanoe lay southeast of Hawkins, a little off the main road but close enough to town. Hopper had used to live by it in his old trailer, which was still visible across the lake as they pulled up by the water. The chief turned off the car, and stepped outside, taking a deep inhale of the fresh air and stretching his back. The sun continued to shine beautifully along the land, casting a reflection that could be compared to broken mirror shards, across the rippling water.

"Right then kiddos, ready to catch some fish?!" Hopper asked with tumultuous enthusiasm.

Him and Will grabbed the supplies and helped bring it out by the small wooden dock, its old boards creaking and squealing with every step, as it must have been at least over four decades old. By it was a wooden boat tied to one of the poles supporting the dock, inside it were two paddles. Will set down the buckets they had brought for the fish, as Hop set the cooler and the other fishing supplies down. He passed the teens their fishing rods and had them sit down beside him at the edge of the dock. He pulled out a large roll of fishing line, and showed it to Will and El.

"Ok, so this here is your line, now what you're gonna do with this is stick it through these lil' rings, til you reach the reel, the lil' spinny 'thing with the handle see? Now Just knot it on there real nice and tight, I'd do it twice if I were you. And then you hook on the line to this thing right here called the bail, and you just wrap it around and around," the chief instructed, wrapping it around his reel vigorously as the teens watched closely.

"Alright, now that's about a hundred and fifty meters of it, don't worry about counting I'll just have you do it and tell you when to stop. So what your gonna do now is snip it off the roll," he explained, pulling out a small pair of snips and cutting the line by the edge of the rod, "Like so. Now, it gets a bit complicated with applying the sinker, swivel and hook, but I'll do that for ya. Right so take this roll," the chief said, handing Will the role of fishing line who cradled it delicately, worried he might damage it.

He finished, and handed it to El, who also followed Hopper's instructions easily.

After they finished the lengthy process of attaching the rest of the accessories, the chief stood up with them, having them stand back as he showed them how to cast the fishing line. Holding the rod with two hands he swiftly pivoted his arms and cast the line far out into the lake. Will and Eleven attempted to do the same, but their swings didn't go nearly as for or in the direction they had intended.

"Now what?" Asked Will.

"Well... uh, now we wait," Hopper said.

They stood still for a while, waiting, listening to the water slush softly against the supports of the creaking wooden dock.

"This is boring," said Will.

Hopper looked over, "What? It ain't boring, it-it just takes some time," he stammered, panicking as he didn't want to lose the interest of the kids.

"What most fishers do to keep 'em selves entertained is they talk to each other, you know nobody said you had to be quiet, so why don't we just talk to each other?"

"What should we talk about?" Asked Will.

"Well, what movies do you like?"

The teenager smiled, he liked that question.

"Uh... I like Star Wars,"

"I figured, who's you're favorite character? Luke?"

"Yeah, I think he's really cool, I dressed up as him for Halloween one year."

Eleven looked over, eager to join the conversation.

"My favorite is Leia," she grinned, "She's bitchin'."

Hopper frowned, "When did you ever get the chance to watch Star Wars?"

"At the sleepover a couple weeks ago," Will butt in, "We watched all three, Dustin had them all on VHS."

"Huh, well uh... I always liked Han Solo, he reminds me of the cowboys I used to watch when I was your age," Hopper said, reminiscing back to when he used to go to the theater with Benny Hammond and his other high school buddies. For a moment he felt a brief sadness creep into his chest, as he remembered the tragic fate that his Benny had suffered.

"I like cowboys," said Eleven. "They have funny hats, like yours," she said looking at the chief.

"What else do you guys like?"

"I don't know, uh... I like some horror movies, Jaws, Evil Dead," pondered Will.

Hop winced, "I can't do those movies, they freak me out."

Suddenly a jolt at the chief's rod caught his attention, ripples waved across the lake as movement became visible under the water. A violent jerk pulled the rod forward, the line being yanked beneath the surface, sending the reel into a rapid spin.

Hopper laughed in excitement, "Alright kids! watch and learn, hold the rod nice and tight, and grab on this lil' handle by the reel, and start spinning it in towards yourself!"

He grabbed the reel handle and began to spin it forcefully, while with the other hand he held the rod tight as it bent by the tip, being pulled by the creature below. Hop leaned back, attempting to balance out the weight of the fish tugging at his bate, while the kids watched in amazement. Only moments later a large green fish came flopping out of the water, clung on by the hook of the chief's line. The kids stared in awe, smiling with excitement. Will dropped his rod on the dock and grabbed the bucket, while Hopper reeled the fish to the tip of his rod. It flopped in agony, nearly slapping the chief in the face with its tail as he reached for the hook. Will scooped it with the buck while it was still in the air just as Hopper ripped the hook out of its mouth. It dropped down into the metal with a _klump!_

"Alright! Now that kids, is how you catch a fish!"

"What kind is it?" Asked Eleven as she peered over Will's shoulder to get a closer look.

"Now that would be a largemouth bass," said Hopper as he looked down at his catch with pride, happy that he still possessed the ability to fish well.

He watched as the teens returned to their fishing poles, visibly eager to get their own catch. The three of them were very cramped on the small dock, inspiring the chief with an idea.

"Hey, how about we go out in the middle of the lake on that boat right there? I bet we'd be able to get much better catches," He proposed, pointing at the boat he had spotted earlier.

As Will and El reeled back in their lines, Hop went over to the floating wooden structure, bringing their buckets and other supplies on to it to take with them. It rocked unstably as he sat down, the kids joining him soon after. He untied the boat from the dock, and grabbed the oars, which he used to row the boat across the lake. Eleven let her hand hang from the boat, watching it drag against the smooth chilly water. They reached the middle of the lake, Hopper bringing in the oars and placing them by his side. 

About an hour passed as the chief and the teens sat with their poles in hand. Hop had caught another largemouth bass, enjoying himself, while Will and Eleven sat bored and disappointed by their lack of luck.

"This is boring, I'm not even catching anything," complained Will.

"You gotta pay attention, I see you over there fidgeting and moving your rod around, you wanna be still so you don't scare em' off," explained the chief.

"I am," will retorted.

Hopper rolled his eyes, tired of the kid's repetitive complaints. He sighed, perhaps there was some kind of way to get the kids more engaged?

"Say, how about this, if you guys catch more fish than me, I'll give you a prize," offered the chief.

"A prize?" Asked Eleven, her eyes glistening.

"Yeah, let's say... forty bucks. But if you don't get more than me... you uh... oh I know, you gotta do my laundry," chuckled Hopper.

"So it's like a bet," concluded Will.

"Yeah, kinda, I mean we got all day, I'm sure you can catch at least one fish, Byers."

Suddenly, another tug came from the chief's line, "Speakin' of fish," he said with a confident laugh.

Will looked over back to Eleven, annoyed.

"How are we supposed to catch anything, we have no experience, it's not even fair," he said, hopelessly staring into the shinny lake.

Eleven watched him curiously, wondering if there was anything she could do to cheer him up. Just then, the girl thought of her own idea. She wondered if it would be the perfect plan to simply levitate the fish out of the water while Hopper had his back turned, it would be the perfect mischievous little way of winning the bet. She smiled almost evilly, thinking about how shocked the chief was gonna be when he saw that he was losing to a bunch of first timers.  
She leaned over to Will and whispered her plan to him as the man behind them scrambled to get his catch into a bucket.

As soon as Hop had his back turned, and was waiting for his next catch, Eleven began to have a little fun with her new idea. She stared deeply at the rippling water, closing her eyes, and reaching out to it with her hand, as if feeling through the lake without even touching it, finding her prey. She felt the water, it's weight and it's movement, and in it she felt hundreds of creatures, large and tiny, all swimming in its depths. Suddenly, a sharp darting, something big, hungry, fast. She felt it cutting through the river like a bullet through rain. In a swift movement she grabbed out of the water without having laid a finger on it. It dangled mid air, viciously turning and bending itself, strangled by the sheer magnetic strength of Eleven's mind. 

Will sat by her side, amazement and thrill filled his wide eyes. He had seen Eleven use her powers before, but mostly in instances of panic and fear, he had never quite gotten the chance to admire them thoughtfully. It was a child fantasy come true, like watching Luke Skywalker lifting rocks with the force. El quickly levitated the fish onto Will's hook, digging it's large lip straight through the pointy U-shaped metal.

The boy began to reel in the fish and pretended to act excited, "Woah! I caught one! I caught one!"

Hopper turned and looked over his shoulder, looking impressed, "Attaboy! See? What'd I tell ya kid? It just takes a bit of focus."

Eleven helped Will unhook his fish and put it down into his bucket, but that wasn't the only one they had planned to catch using telekinesis. In short terms, they had no intention in doing the chief's laundry.

Speaking of him, Hopper was for the moment enjoying himself, feeling accomplished, going back to his thoughts earlier that afternoon. It felt good to be a dad, to be loved by his kid, and to provide a supporting role in the life of someone who didn't get to have a proper father figure. He continued to pride himself for the next half hour, until his thoughts were shattered by a sudden loud splash.

"Look look look! I caught another one!" Squealed an excited Will Byers as he reeled in another fish.

Hopper watched, slight surprise on his face, "Er... great catch! Another Largemouth bass!"

He then turned his back to the teens and muttered, "Damn that was fast." But he was in for much more than he had expected, for about another half hour later, Will had caught yet another fish.

"Wow! I don't know what I was thinking earlier, this is really easy!"

Hop's brow wrinkled as he scratched his forehead in curious confusion, "Uh... Beginner's luck I guess.." He chuckled nervously.

He reeled in his line, double checking that his bait was still there. _How come he's catching em' so fast and I'm not? Is there something wrong with my bait?_ He thought to himself as he continued to look back at the teens. He noticed Eleven had an empty bucket.

"How you doin' over there kid?" He asked, giving her a small pat on the shoulder.

She glanced at him and smiled, "Good,"

"You sure?"

"Yes,"

He returned to his thoughts, still put off by how Will was catching fish so quickly. He attempted to cast his line farther out into the lake, hoping it would have him get another catch. He was confident, sure Will and he were tied in fish, but he was the experienced one, he had over 30 years of it, no way was he about to lose to some 15 year old that hadn't ever fished before in his whole damn life.

"I caught another one!"

"What in the hell!?" Hop snapped in frustrated disbelief as he aggressively slammed his rod by his side and turned over to see the teen boy pulling in his fourth Largemouth bass. He was stunned, what was even happening? Something must be wrong with his bait, or maybe it was the side of the lake he was fishing on? He took his hat off and whipped his sweaty head with his knuckles, bewildered, gawking as Will unhooked his newest catch.

"Really excited to buy some new stuff with those forty dollars!" He teased.

Hopper spluttered in attempt to get his sentence out, "Now hold on a minute I-"

"A bet's a bet right chief?"

"Well hey now I never really said it was a-"

"I think I'll probably get some new D&D equipment, and some art supplies to make my Halloween costume, maybe even a new game for the Atari," Will rambled as the chief continued to look absolutely starstruck.

"Hey! W-We still got an hour, don't get so ahead of yourself kid," Hopper said with bitter jealousy. He looked back at his line, which remained sedentary in the middle of the lake. He was determined to catch at least one more fish and tie with Will, cause he wasn't interested in losing forty dollars to some newbie teenager. A part of him felt happy for Will doing so well, but the other half of him, the angry half, wanted to push the kid into the goddamn river. Of course he would never do that, not in a million years, only someone like Lonnie would do that, and he wasn't about to act like Lonnie. 

He stared down the lake intensely, eyes sharp and wide, as if blinking would scare off all the fish. The sun had begun to drift towards the horizon, as it was nearing five-o'clock, which was their estimated time of departure from the trip. The last hour was almost up when another excited yell from Will Byers made the chief clench his jaw with sour defeat.

"That's the fifth one!"

"Yeah, yeah kid we get it," Hopper scoffed, scowling at the lake.

Just then a tug came from the chief's line, pulling with extreme force, nearly yanking the rod straight out of his mighty paws. He grabbed on hard, and began to laugh in boastful success, even though he had still lost.

"Aha! She's a big one alright! Looks like I can still catch a fish too Byers!" He barked as he stood up on the boat, his chest puffing out with pride, as he continued to reel in the fish. He was so caught up in his catch, and filled with such excitement, he had completely forgotten where he was standing. His toes bumped into the edge of the boat as the fish pulled his rod towards the lake. He tipped over, his balance betraying him as he began to wave his arms for stability, and with a heavy crash Hopper plummeted into the chilly waters. He felt the cold liquid consume his back first, then his arms, and legs, stomach and face. The splash was colossal, water exploded into the air as the giant plunged in with his full body weight, the fishing rod yanked far out of his hands and pulled into the darkness by whatever beast had grabbed it.

The kids watched in awe, and horror as the large man was submerged beneath the water. At first there was silence as the boat rocked back and forth from the sudden shift in weight. At last the chief resubmerged, spitting out a mouthful of water as he gasped for the fresh October air. His body felt heavy, weighed down by his soaked clothes. He grabbed onto the boat for support, nearly tipping the whole thing over as he slammed his gargantuan arm on the edge of it's wooden frame.

The kids stared for a minute as he looked at them, his were cheeks red with embarrassment and anger, and unable to help themselves, they began to snicker, as the situation was just a bit too funny for them to handle.

"I swear to god," Hopper began through gritted teeth, "If you start laughing, I'll flip the whole goddamn boat you hear me?"

The kids exploded, attempting to apologize between their deep breaths for air as they burst into continuous laughter.

"Oh son of a bitch," Hopper muttered, exasperated as he rested his forehead on the side of the boat in humiliation.

"I'm sorry sir," gasped Will in tears of hilarity, "We really can't help it."

"Yeah I get it, let's just go home," grumbled the chief as he began to push the boat back to the dock by paddling with his heavy legs.

When they reached the dock the kids climbed out, bringing the supplies and buckets of fish with them as Hopper walked out of the water by the shore, dripping from all surfaces. He felt incredibly gross as the water had soaked into his socks and even into his boxers, which was all sorts of uncomfortable. He had no spare clothes either, so he was forced to remain in the soggy garments. Luckily he had brought a towel, which he had left in the trunk of his truck. He grabbed the soft cloth, attempting to wipe himself down with it and dry himself off as much as he could before he placed it on the driver's seat so he wouldn't soak the car. The kids continued to load the rest of the supplies as Hopper sat in the car feeling miserable, his face hanging with exhaustion.

Once Will and El entered the car, Hop started it, and they began to make their way home.

The ride was silent, not even the radio was turned on.

Will looked over to the somber chief, and spoke up, "I'm sorry you fell into the lake, I didn't mean to laugh, that was rude of me, I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too," said Eleven, leaning up to the drivers seat and giving her dad a hug around the neck. He couldn't help but chuckle, realizing he couldn't remain mad at them, they were just kids, _his_ kids.

He reached into his wallet which had sat in the car the whole day, and pulled out two twenty dollar bills, handing them to Will humbly.

Will looked at him guilty.

"Are you sure you want me to have these? I really don't have to take them-"

"It's ok kid, it's forty bucks, I can make that in a day."

Will took the two twenty dollar bills and looked at them. To him it was always surreal holding so much money at once, what with being only 15 years old and never having really gotten many opportunities to hold so much in cash.  
He looked over at Eleven, who gave him a wink over her father's shoulder.

The sun shined an evening orange as it began to descend behind the tall pine trees of Hawkins. The autumn leaves crumbled and broke from their branches, colorfully raining across the streets in red, yellow, and brown. The street lights began to turn on as they sped down the road, the dying leaves crunching under the massive tires of the vehicle.

When the truck pulled up in the driveway, Joyce was waiting for them. She was reading a book and sitting on one of the chairs on the front porch, her face lit up like a star when she saw them. Hopper smiled at her as she waved and began making her way over. 

It was Will she went to first, giving him a hug and then asking him all about how the trip had gone. He showed her the cooler full of fish, to which she gave him another hug, proud of her son for trying out some new activities.

"Oh baby, it looks like you had such a good time!"

"I did mom, thanks, you can let go now... mom, you're squeezing me," Will said, trying to escape the loving yet suffocating embrace of his mother.

Joyce then looked over to Hop, who approached her with a big goofy smile, holding the remaining fishing rods and the cooler.

"We had a good time," he chuckled.

Joyce's smile transitioned into a surprised and confused face as she noticed the chief was drenched in lake water from head to toe.

"Jesus Hop what happened? Did you fall out of the boat or something?" She asked, sounding worried, but also amused.

"Actually that's exactly what happened."

"Well, let's get you all inside, we can make some good diner outta this!" She said excitedly.

"Come on Hop, let's get you dried up," she directed, taking his arm and pulling him inside.

And thus the fishing trip was over. The chief smiled as he entered the door, pleased with how the day had gone over all. He had gotten to bond a little more with the kids, and pass on the experiences that he himself had experienced so long ago. He felt happy, and yet...

Something was still missing, there was someone he felt disconnected from.

Joyce, she was the missing puzzle piece to his wants, and without her he felt lost, angry, and sad. Bonding with Will made him think deeply into a fantasy, where he, Joyce, El and Will were all one happy family, where he was with Joyce, and they could raise the kids together. He wanted it so much, he could kill for it, it hurt not knowing if she even loved him back. He wanted to tell her, to pour his heart out and just tell her, every moment she was near him he wanted to say "I love you."

Determination ate through his veins, as he decided that he was gonna do anything he could to get closer to her.

He thought about his fantasy again as he stepped inside the house.

Wouldn't it just be so lovely to call her his wife?

He repeated the word in his head.

_wife_

What a pretty word.


	5. Stormy Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hopper goes to ask Joyce to dinner, but it doesn't go as expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AS USUAL PLEASE READ LOL. Hey! So I actually got this chapter done a little early for you guys, as I was actually planning to post this on the 20th of May rather than the 18th.  
> As usual, I can't stress enough that I would really, really, really appreciate it if you guys that are reading could give me FEEDBACK and SUGGESTIONS in the comments. And if you don't feel like it, it ain't no issue, so don't worry about it too much! But if you do feel like there's something you wanna critique, or even just leave me a positive comment, that would be wonderful! It's stuff like that that really keeps me going and motivated to write more!  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, because in this one we get a little more of a peek at that angst I was talking about ;)

Thunder boomed from the raging storm above as rain crashed upon the rooftops of downtown Hawkins. The dark sky loomed ominously along the heavens as the town was shrouded in a blanket of clouds. Wind carried the pouring waters across the streets as it tore branches from trees and sent leaves into an endless dance among the chaos. The Friday afternoon was only said to get worse according to the weatherman explaining the situation on the local broadcast. The chief of Hawkins heard the words sound from his old radio that lay on his cluttered desk, listening to the shower outside tapping on his window unceasingly as the occasional flash of mystical other-worldly lights illuminated his dark room.

His rough bear-like face lay buried in the palms of his hands as he sat pensively in silence. His body hunched over, his large broad shoulders slumped and loose. His mind lay static in a whirlwind of pleasant thoughts about Joyce Byers. He had planned to ask her out to dinner that evening, thrilled by the thought of finally getting the date at Enzo's that had been snatched from him by a bunch of dysfunctional magnets. He smiled, leaning back in his chair and stretching his lengthy body out to its fullest, yawning deeply. His thoughts rewound back to how he had felt on his night with her the previous week, how it had felt to laugh with her, how it had felt to hold her in his arms while they danced along an invisible stage.

He thought of how beautiful she was when she danced, and how beautiful she was in general. Boy, wouldn't he be a lucky man to get to be with this woman? The chief became more and more excited by his dreams as he pondered them, his confidence grew as did his motivation to go visit her. He began to fidget in his seat, feeling uncomfortable, like he wanted to just get up and run a whole mile to quench his energy.

He looked at his watch, figuring that he could go visit Melvald's right now if he wanted to, it wasn't like deputies Calvin Powell or Phil Callahan were gonna care enough to stop him.  
"Yeah, why not?" He beamed as he stood up from his desk, grabbing his hat and coat as he thought about how he would ask Joyce out. He snatched his keys from the table as he left his room, the metallic utensils jingling all the way as he walked into the main office space. Above the windows and along the desks were decorated with black and orange banners for the upcoming holiday of Halloween. At two of the nearest desks sat the deputies, who were playing a game of cards, while Florence was handling a phone call by the front desk.

"Afternoon chief. You goin' somewhere?" Questioned deputy Powell as Hopper made his way through the room. 

"Yeah, I thought I would take the rest of the day off, not like anything interesting is happening here anyway," Explained the chief, walking over to one of the donut boxes on the other side of the room. "I will take a snack for the road though," he chuckled, opening it, licking his lips as he could already taste the soft glaze of a jelly donut in his mouth. To his dismay, it was not jelly donuts he found in the box, but rather at least a dozen bright green apples. On one of them was a sticky note, which he snatched up in annoyance as he recognized the elegant handwriting of Florence.

 _Eat HEALTHY_ , it said.

Hopper scoffed and flicked the note into the trash as the deputies snickered in amusement of his inconvenience. "Really, Flo?" He sighed, rebuking her choice in food. He continued to the front door, stopping by a window near the deputies as his reflection caught his attention. He took this moment to readjust his hair, which had taken on a mind of its own in the last couple of weeks. He was in dire need of a trim, preferably before his hair turned into one of those bowl cuts the Byers boys had.  
Still dissatisfied, he turned to his friends for confirmation that his appearance was acceptable.

"Say, my hair doesn't look awful or anything right?"

The deputies looked over. "No, why? You goin' to see a lady or something?" Asked Callahan.

"What? N-no, I was just asking cause it looked a little messy that's all," he stuttered, blatantly lying to the two men staring at him.

"Since when do you care about your hair?" Questioned Powell skeptically."What did I say? He's gonna go see a lady," added Callahan, chuckling as he leaned back in his chair.

"That's none of your business, Cal," scorned Hopper.

"Well, if you goin' to see someone like that, then I think you should be focusing less on that bush on ya head, and instead the big tub o' lard down here," teased Powell as he poked Hop in his round belly jokingly.

"Hey! knock that shit off," hissed the chief as he slapped the deputy's hand away. The two men laughed, Hopper rolling his eyes as he turned to the door, grabbing an umbrella he had left by it earlier that day. 

It flapped open as he stepped into the rain, though it wasn't too effective with the howling winds blowing the rain into him anyway. His truck sat dormant in a parking space as he trudged over, each step he took creating a wet splash that reached knee high. Unlocking the vehicle he got in, the sound of the storm dulled by the closing of the car door as most sound from the outdoors was now blocked out. 

As he slumped back in the driver's seat he briefly glanced at his large body as if to reassure himself that he looked just fine, but then immediately looked away in embarrassment for being self conscious. Starting the car the chief backed out of the parking lot, and drove down the street.

Melvald's was hardly more than a couple blocks away, and took no time to reach. The truck slid in front of the store, stopping with a slight jolt as the engine fell into silence, only the sound of rain against the glass and the unforgettable sound of moving window wipers filled the interior of the vehicle. As he looked out the windshield he could see silhouettes of the people inside the store, blurred by the rain drops blanketing it's large windows. Grabbing his umbrella once again he used it to shield himself from the cold downpours, hurrying into the store, thunder continuing to roar long after he entered.

The moment he entered the building the rain outside was again muffled by the sound of music blaring from the speakers by the roof. The catchy lines of "Monster Mash," played cheerfully as the customers in the also Halloween decorated store went about their business. _Sheesh, this place is packed_ , thought Hopper with a furrowed brow as he watched several people walking around, missing a time when nobody was there and he could talk to Joyce in private without having any Hawkins gossipers listening in. He spotted Joyce at the cash register talking to somebody, and decided that he would go buy something himself in the meantime, and as another excuse for being at the store. 

Subtly, he slipped into one of the aisles and began examining the contents, briefly looking up every now and then to see if Joyce was still talking to someone. He slowly made his way through the aisles scanning the shelves for possible items to buy, at last settling on getting a can of jolt cola, which would fill him with some extra energy. He walked to the cash register and slapped the can down onto the counter.

Joyce looked up to see Hopper's big smile. She observed him searchingly, wondering what he was doing there. "Hey Hop," she greeted, her voice tired.

"Hey Joyce," Hopper smiled as he leaned his massive arms on the glass countertop. "How's it goin'?"

She sighed, resting her chin in her hands, "Oh you know, just another boring day in the extremely uneventful life of Joyce Byers." She joked. Hopper chuckled at the humor, as Joyce picked up the can of soda and slid it across the scanner.

"Jolt cola huh? Interesting choice for you," she commented, as she handed him the can.

"Well you know, sometimes a little extra caffeine helps," shrugged the chief. "You look like you could use some yourself."

He cracked open the can, taking a sip and sliding it over to Joyce. "Wanna sip?," he offered.

Joyce smiled at him, "Not now, maybe I'll have something later." Hopper nodded and took the can back for himself.

"Hey, do you think you're gonna be busy later?" Asked the chief.

"I don't think so, what's up?"

"I was thinking... why don't we go out for dinner tonight?" He asked, nervousness and tension building through his body as he eagerly awaited her response. 

Joyce blinked at him, as if still processing the question. "Go out? You mean like at a restaurant?" She asked skeptically. "Hop, I-"

"Yeah! And we can go wherever you want, personally I was thinking Enzo's, but again it's your preference." Hopper rambled enthusiastically. He glanced to Joyce longingly, barely able to contain his feelings.

Joyce stared at him for a while, trying to find the right words. "Hopper... I... I don't-" She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence when she saw the look of disappointment on the face of the man before her. She watched as all his excitement was crushed with a single word.

"W-what is it? What... What's wrong?" The chief asked in a nervous chuckle, as if asking this would somehow lead to the answer he was looking for. Embarrassment loomed over his shoulders, threatening to consume him.

"I... I don't know if I feel like going out tonight." She explained, trying to avoid directly telling him no.

A pit grew in his stomach, that wasn't the answer the chief wanted to hear.

"Uh... W-Why? What- did something happen?"

"No I... I just don't feel like going out to dinner,"

Hopper looked away and back again, his brow raised and his eyes nearly squinting, "I uh... Why not?"

Joyce gulped, she didn't want to be rude and reject him to his face, but how else could she explain herself? There was no way to tell him the truth without hurting him. She looked into his eyes intensely, desperately trying to find a way of defusing the uncomfortable situation.

Hopper spoke up, "Do you want to do it some other night? I can re-"

"No Hop, I don't want to go to dinner with you." She told the chief reluctantly. Immediately she was overwhelmed with guilt, watching as the chief's expression dropped even further. Her mouth quivered as she tried to think of something else to say, something to try and help explain her feelings. It all just felt so sudden to her, just as it did when he had asked her the previous July.

Hopper stepped back blinking, clearly offended, any pride he had dissolving into humiliation. "I- I don't understand," he stammered, looking at her in confusion. "Did I do something wrong? I don't-"

"No no no! It's nothing you did Hop, really, it's not you," she explained, desperately trying to explain the misunderstanding, reaching her palms out as a gesture for him not to assume something so strong.

"Well then what's the issue? You had a great time the other night at the house," demanded the chief, his arms stretched out in confusion.

Joyce looked around, noticing that a few customers had begun to stare. She looked back at Hopper pleadingly. "Can we please not do this here?"

Hopper scoffed. "Do what here? Joyce I don't even know what's going on. I'm just confused because one moment you seem like you enjoy being around me, and the next you want nothing to do with me, is that it?" He said accusingly, his temper and annoyance beginning to rise.

She looked at him bewildered. "What? H-Hop you're blowing this way out of proportion I never even said that!"

"Yeah well it sure feels that way," said the chief sharply.

Joyce grumbled in frustration. "Look Hop, I don't want to go to dinner with you like that-" Before she could finish the chief butt in boisterously, his hand flailing out to emphasize that he was cutting her off. "What do you mean 'like that?'"

A moment of stillness fell upon them like a cloud of mist, the tension was laser intense between the two of them, threatening to disintegrate them at any moment. Joyce began to find it almost impossible to look into the chief's eyes, his sad painful eyes. She sighed, putting her head in her hands. "You don't just go with someone to Enzo's as 'friends,' you know that."

"Would that really be a bad thing?"

"No, it wouldn't. I'm not saying that I don't like you Hop, but you have to understand I'm not ready for something like that. And besides, the other day was different, that was at home and it wasn't anything special..."

"Wasn't anything special?" Hopper repeated in disbelief and anger. Joyce looked at him in shame, she realized that she had hurt him, misled him into thinking that their friendship was something more. Even with the raging whirlwind of a storm going on outdoors, it felt more quiet than ever. The chief's eyes were wide with sour aggravation, his mouth opening to speak, but closing again as he attempted to destroy his impulsive need to talk back. His hands clenched by his sides, shaking as they wanted to break away and throw something across the room, maybe even hit a wall. His body felt ridged, and as stiff as wood as he looked at Joyce with depressed eyes. Surprisingly, he wasn't angry at her, at least not entirely. Instead, for the most part he was angry at himself, for getting ahead of himself and just assuming Joyce was ready for any serious relationship with him. And now because of that he had humiliated himself, and done nothing but make himself look like an idiot. He looked down at the floor with watery eyes in regret. Joyce noticed, trying to think of something else to say.

"Hopper, I'm wasn't trying to-"

"Forget it, Joyce." He said in a cold whisper as he turned away and walked brokenly to the exit. He heard Joyce trying to call after him, but all he wanted to do was to run away and hide in a hole. He kicked the door to the store open and stepped out into the pouring rain, he didn't even care to use his umbrella as the showering waters streamed down his face and soaked his clothes. His thoughts of anger at himself and at Joyce continued to eat away at his mind, and he began to lash out. Crushing the can of soda in his hand, he watched the remaining contents to squirt out, before chucking it into the street. He stomped to his car and threw himself in, slamming the door aggressively as he laid his head on the grip of the steering wheel. _That was terrible_ , he thought bitterly, _that was fucking terrible_. He hit the dashboard with his palms in a fit of rage, before yanking the car out of park and speeding down the streets.

Joyce watched sadly as the truck screeched out of the parking lot, and left out of sight. Her body shook as every cell in her bloodstream went pale white with discomfort. She grimaced, overwhelmed as she laid her head in her arms on the counter top, still struggling to understand the situation. She wasn't unintelligent, she knew why Hopper was so desperate to get closer to her, and she understood why he felt the way he did. Joyce resisted the urge to spill tears as she remembered the heart wrenching reason why they were here in the first place. 

_Bob Newby_ , innocent, sweet, loving Bob Newby. The man who had suffered a tragic and horrific death right in front of her very eyes. The truth was she wasn't over his death, and how could she be? It wasn't her fault that she was mourning a loss that had happened only a year ago, so what was so hard about that for Hop to understand? Why was he so instant on getting closer? She gulped as she continued down her rabbit hole of thoughts, which teetered on the edge of spiraling out of control. It was simply unexplainable what Joyce had been through, so why was this an issue? Why couldn't she and Hopper just be normal for a little while? Would it be that hard?

She let out a deep, shaky breath, knowing that Hop had already been patient, having waited a year to get closer to her. He had even tried to do something similar in July, and she stood him up. _Imagine how he feels now..._ She thought silently, putting herself in Hopper's shoes, attempting to understand his perspective. All he had done was try to get closer, to just be around her, there was nothing harmful about it, and yet she pushed him away whenever he tread on new territory. Was it her fault then? _No_ , she told herself, Hopper shouldn't have reacted the way he did, he should have tried to understand that she was still recovering from heavy grief. _Of all people he should know that!_ , her thoughts screamed in her head.

She took one last deep breath and stood up straight, wiping her eyes and returning to her job, hoping that she could just lock away the conflict in a box, at least until later that evening.

On the other hand, Jim Hopper was not able to lock his conflict away in a box. Instead it tore through his head as he sped down the roads of downtown Hawkins. Rain bashed against the windshield as the window wipers tried as best they could to keep the road visible. Lighting boomed loudly around him, as thin strikes of electricity became visible among the dark horizon. His anger hadn't settled one bit since he left Melvald's, still burning furiously as he drove recklessly. His destination however was not the Byers residence, instead he had different plans, ones that were ill advised. It was the The Hideaway Pub that the fiery chief had planned to spend his evening at, pulling up in the driveway with a squeal from the tires. He could see the neon sign of the pub's name illuminating the pitch black darkness of the outdoors created by the ongoing storm. The chief set the car in park, and flicked his wrist to take a glance at his watch, which reminded him that it was four in the afternoon.

He stepped out of the vehicle, again with no umbrella, grumbling as he stormed into the pub, yanking open the door and clomping his gargantuan sized boots on the recently polished wood floors, which squeaked from every wet step. Along with his shoes, his uniform dripped with wetness and so did his face, drops falling from his pointy nose and damp beard. The place wasn't too crowded, only a few people sat scattered across the place. He slogged over to the bar, and pulled out a stool, slumping into it tiredly. He rested his head in one hand as the bartender strode over.

"Hey chief, you want your usual?" Asked the man, already reaching for a large bottle of amber bourbon whiskey.

"No, gimme' something stronger today... like a scotch," mumbled Hopper, not even making eye contact. He sat despondently as his drink was poured, continuing to be infuriated about his argument with Joyce. He just wanted to get drunk, and dull his thoughts so he wouldn't feel awful anymore. The bartender slid the cup over, and in return Hop slid back a dollar bill. _Just forget about it Hopper_ , he thought to himself bitterly, _just forget about it_. And with a snatch of his glass he gulped down the alcohol, poisoning his thoughts, fizzling them out of his brain.

Joyce Byers sat with her youngest son in the car as she drove them through the dark evening streets. The world around them was barely visible, only illuminated by the passing street lights. The ride was quiet, neither of the two said a word. When they arrived at the house Joyce frowned at the sight of the empty driveway, having expected to see the chief's chevy blazer. She stepped out of her car, opening her umbrella and rushing over to Will, keeping him dry as the two walked closely together before reaching the front porch. Pulling out her keys Joyce unlocked the door and stepped inside.

"Hello?" She called into the silent house. Only a few lights were one, leaving the Byers residence in a dim lighting, which was almost fitting with the rainy atmosphere. Footsteps were heard rushing down the hall and Eleven peaked her head around the corner.

"Hi," she said directly.

"Hi sweetie, have you seen Hopper at all?" Joyce asked, dropping off her purse on one of the armchairs as Eleven walked over.

"No, why?" She asked, her eyes intense and concerned. "Is something wrong?"

"No, no it's probably nothing, he's just working late I guess," said Joyce reassuringly, resting a hand on El's cheek. The girl smiled, and walked over to join Will by the dining table. The two engaged in friendly conversation as they sat down and Will pulled out his art supplies. Joyce in the meantime checked her watch, identifying that the time was now five in the evening. She frowned, Hopper usually didn't work late, besides what would he even be doing? It wasn't as if anything of importance ever happened at his job. Then she remembered. Their fight, he had left in a hurry, he was really angry, but where else would Hopper go if not home?

She worryingly stepped over to the house phone, quietly dialing 911 on the small machine. The phone hummed in her ear as she fiddled with the cord impatiently. Suddenly the call was picked up, and a voice responded across the line.

"Hawkins PD, what's your emergency?" Asked the familiar voice of one of the deputies. Joyce squinted her eyes as she attempted to remember the man's name.

"Hey uh... Powell, It's Joyce."

"Evenin' Ms. Byers, what's the matter?"

"Well I'm actually not entirely sure, this may just be my own paranoia but the chief's been spending the last couple of days at my house and he hasn't actually come back today. He got out early this afternoon and stopped by Melvald's, when he left I thought he'd come back to the house but that doesn't seem to be the case, did he return to the station by any chance?" Asked Joyce, her voice low and sincere.

"No, he hasn't come back since he took the rest o' the day off, you sure he didn't just decide to spend the night at his trailer?"

Joyce winced, knowing full well that Hopper's trailer hadn't even been touched for at least a year, and that he certainly wasn't there now.

"Uh yeah, I actually already called there, he didn't answer." She lied.

"He could just have gone to sleep early, did you notice anything strange about him when he came to Melvald's? Did he seem sleep deprived or tired?"

"Er... no, but I will say that he did seem upset when he left the store,"

"Upset how?"

"Like angry."

"Ah... Well, I'd have a couple o' guesses of where the chief might go if he's angry," pondered the deputy.

Joyce pulled the phone cord tighter, closer, as she began to feel more concerned with where Powell was going.

"And where might he be?"

"He hasn't gone for a while, but my guess would be one of the bar's in town."

Joyce felt her heart sink, the last thing she wanted was for Hop to be getting wasted off somewhere just because she denied him dinner. 

She hesitated before speaking her next sentence. "I don't want to ask too much, but could you and some of the guys go out and check a couple of the bars he's most likely to be at?"

Powell sighed from across the line. "Joyce, even if he is at one of em' I'm sure he'll be fine, the chief is smart, he won't do anything stupid."

"See that's the thing Powell, he hasn't been out drinking in a while, even when he was upset, Hopper quit drinking like that a while ago, I don't know where else he could be. Would it kill you to at least just check?"

She heard the deputy groan, and a pause was placed between the two, until reluctantly the man answered. "Fine, I'll go check it out in a little bit."

"Thank you, if you find him, let me know." She said and promptly hung up the telephone, clanging it back in its place. She leaned against the wall, biting her nails as she thought to herself. It angered her that Hopper would go out drinking over what had happened at Melvald's, for she felt that he was doing it because of her even though she hadn't done anything wrong. She took a deep breath, reaching into her shirt pocket and pulling out a pack of cigarettes, which she promptly took outside for a smoke to clear her mind, assuring herself that the chief was completely fine.

Hopper slid his empty glass across the counter for a refill, tossing a crumpled dollar with it as he waited impatiently. The pub had gotten far more crowded, the noise of laughing and conversations reverberating off of the walls and piercing his eardrums. He considered leaving for another bar nearby, where it might be less crowded, but maybe after he finished a couple more drinks. The bartender finally returned but seemed in no rush to serve Hop.

He looked at the chief disapprovingly, "Say Jim, I know it ain't any of my business, but I think you should call it a night, you know?"

Hopper shook his head angrily, slamming his fist onto the counter. "No, I'm done when I say I'm done, now give me another." He snapped.

The bartender raised his hands in surrender and grabbed the chief's drink, pouring yet another glass of scotch. He passed it over, and Hopper guzzled it down like an animal, feeling a deep satisfaction as he felt it enter his body, the taste of it in his mouth was incredible. He set his glass down, and immediately became even more furious with himself, as his thoughts had somehow miraculously returned to Joyce Byers, even after drinking all this scotch, he was still angry. He ran his hands through his hair, grabbing it hard in a gesture of frustration. Why couldn't he just get a happy ending with her? Was it so bad to just go on a goddamn dinner and forget about all that had happened? He resisted the urge to yell out loud as his thoughts raced away and away through his heavy head. Suddenly he felt extremely overwhelmed, as the loudness of the pub had become agonizing, echoing in his ears, almost ringing. The laughing, the yelling, the noise, the football game coming from the tv on the nearby shelf, and to top it all off his mind falling apart with his inability to accept rejection.

At last he had had enough, standing up from his stool slowly, thankfully not struggling too much to keep his balance. He picked up his still almost full glass of scotch, and began to make his way to the exit. His eyes were on his drink, mesmerized by the hypnotic rippling that came from every step of his heavy steps. Abruptly, the heavy weight of something large smashed into him, sending his world spinning. Immediately the contents of his glass exploded upward like a tsunami, splashing onto his shirt and face, soaking him with sticky amber whiskey. He stumbled backward, attempting to regain his stability. His eyes blinked open, as he realized what had happened.

A group of four men had been standing in front of him by the pool table. They were all near his height, but the one in particular he had bumped into was the biggest of the four.  
He regained his senses, his surprise replaced with fuming ferocity. 

"What the hell is your problem!?" Shouted the chief in anger as he looked down at the mess on himself. The man he had bumped into also looked angry, taking a threatening step forward.

"My problem? Watch where you're goin' next time asshole!" Snapped the man.

"Oh you wanna talk to me like that tough guy? I'm a cop,"

"I don't give a damn if you're a cop! You watch where you're fuckin' going!"

"Yeah?" Snarled Hopper as he threw his empty glass at the man in anger. It zipped through the air and exploded on the man's face, cutting him by the nose. He jolted backward, but recovered quickly. His friends fell into a defensive position, coming up behind him to aid him. One of them looked over at the chief and yelled, "Hey what the fuck's your problem!?"  
Just then the man Hopper had thrown his glass at jumped up and attacked him, pouncing at him like an angry tiger. At first it was Hop who had the upper hand, easily maneuvering around the man's attacks, but he slipped up and took a violent jab to the jaw.

"Jesus dude you can't just hit a cop!" Yelled one of his friends from behind.

Attempting to recover Hopper stumbled backward, trying to find something to hold on too. The man was quicker, attacking him once again and landing several more blows to his face and ribs. Fire boiled in his chest, and rage filled his shaking body as the chief finally attacked back, smashing the man's nose with his enormous paws. In one rapid succession he pinned the man against the pool table, beating him endlessly in a fit of pure fury. People had begun to watch in awe, some even laughing from the free entertainment. The man's friends quickly came to his aid, pulling the chief off of his bloodied opponent. He lashed out, attempting to escape the grasp of the other men, but they grappled on, bringing him to the floor and crashing blows of their own to his face and chest. He began to feel incredibly tired, worn from all the energy he had used. The coppery taste of blood filled his mouth as his bruised lips began to bleed, running down his beard. Another punch came at him, this time his nose, blasting more crimson red liquid across his face as he shouted in pain. The third one of them however seemed reluctant of the whole situation, trying to pry the other two off of the chief as they continued to beat Hopper senseless.

"Hey what the fuck do you guys think you're doing!? We're gonna get arrested!"

Finally several of the people in the bar attempted to intervene, helping the third man pull away the rest. They struggled at first, but gave up and stepped back in surrender. Some of the bystanders, including the bartender rushed over to Hopper, who was struggling to keep consciousness. The world around him spun as people surrounded him. They helped him sit up, having him lean against one of the bar stools. His face was drenched in his own blood, bleeding from his nose, mouth, and a bad wound by his temple. Everything felt sore and in pain, like he couldn't move without a piercing sensation in all of his muscles. But worst of all, he once again felt embarrassed, humiliated, and ashamed. _What the fuck am I doing?_ He thought to himself exhaustedly.

Suddenly more yelling came from the entrance of the building, as the four men that he had brawled with darted towards the back exit. After them chased two Hawkins PD deputies. Hopper sighed, preparing himself for the disappointed stares of the next two men who walked in the pub. Deputies Powell and Callahan rushed over, bending down and examining the chief in disbelief.

"Jesus Christ chief what happened?" Asked Powell, grabbing a towel from the bartender who passed it over to aid Hop.

"It was my fault," Hopper said sluggishly as Powell did his best to clean off the pouring blood that smothered the chief's battle damaged face. "I started it... I was an idiot..."

"Well, there's nothing you can do about it now, come on let's get you outta here. Cal? Help him up will you?" Instructed the Deputy as Callahan kneeled down by the chief.

"How many fingers am I holdin' up chief?"

"Two..." Hopper mumbled. 

With the help of deputy Callahan, he was able to stand up and walk out to the car, protected from the rain by an umbrella that Cal held above his head. The sound of commotion died out behind him as he was seated down in the shotgun seat of a Hawkins PD squad car. Powell joined them outside.

"You go out back and help arrest those idiots, I'll get the chief home."

Callahan nodded, giving Hop a pat on the back before rushing back into the chaos. Powell walked around the car, opening the door and slumping down in the driver's seat, looking over to Hopper's bloody face, wincing at the sight of the poor man. He ignited the engine, and drove off into the night.  
The night sky was non existent in the black void the storm had created. Only darkness filled the world, occasionally lit up by the flashes of majestic electricity that thundered across the landscapes. While a storm took place outside the car, another took place within the mind of Jim Hopper. He sat quietly, his eyes closed and his breathing gravely as he continued to hold the small towel the bartender had handed him against his head, soaking up the continuously bleeding wounds.  
Deputy Powell spoke up. "You doin' alright?"

Hopper groaned, keeping his eyes closed. "Fine."

Powell looked at him, amused by the response as it was quite obvious the chief was anything but. "What uh... What happened back there?"

Hop continued to refrain from making eye contact, his anger growing again as he didn't want to be reminded of the situation anymore. "Nothing."

The deputy pressed on. "Back at the bar... You said it was your fault, that you started it."

"I did," Hopper confirmed shamefully, shaking his head in disgust of his own actions.

"Don't worry about it, ok chief? Imma make sure you don't get in trouble for this, worst case scenario you get suspended for a week, but I doubt that'll happen, you weren't on duty. Just try and stay outta trouble like that from now on, ok?" Asked Powell, glancing back at Hop.

The chief nodded, turning to the window as the car returned to silence.

It was about eight at night when Joyce Byers heard a knock on her door. She had been doing dishes, cleaning up the meal she had shared with the kids who still sat at the dining room table, drawing with Will's art supplies. As soon as she heard the knocks, she rushed to the entrance, drying her hands on her shirt rather than a towel as she made her way to the front door, the kids watching curiously. Joyce unlocked the door and swung it open. Standing on her front porch was deputy Powell, and beside him Hopper, who was leaning against one of the porch beams for support. It took her less than two seconds to notice the beaten and bloodied face of the chief, gasping in shock as her wide eyes stared at the mess of a man.

"Jesus Hop what happened!?" She said, walking up to him, examining his face further as she looked closely at his bruises and wounds. 

"He got in a fight at the Hideaway pub, jumped by four guys," explained the deputy. "He won't need any stitches, but you better clean him up good."

"Thanks Calvin, have a goodnight," Joyce said with gratitude, pulling the chief inside by the arm and waving the deputy goodbye.

"Alright Joyce, goodnight, and take care of him please," Requested the deputy as he walked back to his car.

As soon as she closed the door Eleven came around the corner, pausing with an intense confused stare as she too beheld the chief's appearance with worry. She ran over, holding him by the arm as she helped Joyce help him to the couch. Once Hopper was seated, she turned back to Joyce.

"What happened?" 

Joyce opened her mouth to speak, but was unable to get any words out as she attempted to think of any other response besides the truth. How was she about to tell this kid that her father was an alcoholic? Will walked around the corner as well, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Holy shit, is he ok?" He asked, surprised that a man as big and burly as the chief could ever take such a beating.

Joyce grabbed the kids by the shoulders. "Listen, I need you two to go to your room. Me and Hop need to have a private discussion ok?" Will nodded and made his way down the hall, but Eleven protested.

"I don't want to leave him," she pleaded.

"I know sweetie, just go to Will's room, I'll let you talk to him in a little bit ok?" Joyce reassured, hugging the girl lovingly before sending her down the hall as well. The door closed behind her, and silence spilled into the room once more. Joyce walked over to the couch slowly, sitting on an armchair next to it as the chief watched her sadly. They sat there for a long time, as the rain battered against the windows and the thunder shook the house. So many emotions hung in the air, all squeezed into a bitter tension between the two adults as they sat and thought to themselves.

At last she spoke. "Why does it hurt you so much that I just need time?"

Hopper glanced at her, his brow furrowed.

"I mean, why can't we just be patient with each other? Is it really the end of the world if I don't go on a dinner with you?" She spoke stiffly, her words straightforward.

Hop rolled his eyes, angered even more by the topic. "What's stopping you? It's not like you have anything else to do these days. Why do you have to keep creating all this stupid drama between us?" Hopper demanded coldly.

Joyce raised her eyebrows, taken aback by the chief's response. "Creating stupid drama? What is wrong with you? Are you so blind and full of your own selfish need to date me that you don't even realize I'm grieving the death of someone?!" She snapped back, her voice heated, almost scary, it wasn't often you heard Joyce Byers talk like this, like she was actually angry at you.  
Hopper's frustration started to die, as he realized everything in that moment, all of his mistakes hitting him at once like a stack of bricks. He suddenly felt very small, like Joyce could step on him and crush him like he was an ant.

"I... I'm sorry... I understand." He said, tears welling in his eyes as he was overwhelmed with a dreadful feeling of anger at himself. Guilt ate him alive as his shame took over.

At first Joyce looked surprised, that instead of fighting back the chief had apologized, and now she felt embarrassed for yelling at him. "Ok... good... that's all I want from you Hop, for you to just understand," Joyce said, relieved, standing up to join him on the couch. She sat down beside him, caressing his broad round shoulders as he bent over and put his face in his hands, hiding the tears that streamed down his cheeks. She took the towel from his side and went to the sink, getting it damp and returning to Hopper. She lifted his head up and wiped his face smoothly, delicately, cleaning away the dried blood that stained his skin. Hopper didn't resist, letting her clean him up, wipe his lips, nose, brow, cheeks, and in his own way, enjoying it. The cool towel felt good along his face, soothing his wounds. 

"Look, just give me time, and don't go out drinking anymore, ok? You have a daughter to raise, you can't influence her like this," She explained, to which he nodded in agreement.

When Joyce finished, the chief looked much better. She left again to grab a bag of frozen peas, and placed it along the worst couple of bruises by his temple and jaw.

"Why don't you get some rest ok? We can discuss this more in the morning."

"Ok," Hop responded quietly, his voice faint, wiping away the last of his tears.

Joyce looked at him sadly one last time, and left the living room, turning off most of the lights. Hopper watched her leave, still feeling extremely sad and disappointed in himself. Preparing for a long slumber, he kicked off his boots, and began removing his uniform, which he dropped onto the nearby armchair. He looked down at his bare chest, examining the several bruises he had by his ribs. He slumped back down on the couch, unbuckling his belt and removing his trousers, leaving himself in a pair of plaid boxers. The room felt much colder against his body as he shivered briefly in the chilliness. He rested against his pillow, putting his hands behind his head as he closed his eyes and meditated to the sound of the storm above. At last the conflict was over, there was little more he hated besides fighting with Joyce. But now they were on the same level, and all he had to do was to just give her space for a while, and maybe, just maybe, he could finally get a happy ending with her. 

A Small force suddenly landed on him, startling him, but only until he realized it was Eleven, who snuggled up closely to his pillow-like belly and hugged him tight. He smiled, and hugged her back.

"Hey," He said softly.

"Are you ok?" She asked concernedly, her small face of worry dimly illuminated by the remaining lights left on in the kitchen.

"Yeah kid... Yeah, I'm ok." He said, chuckling slightly as he relished in the loving embrace of his daughter. She moved up closer giving him a little kiss on the cheek, and then proceeded to playfully mess with his beard.

Another smile forced his cheeks to spread as it grew upon his face. He raised a hand and ran it through his daughter's hair affectionately.

"I love you kid, you know that?" He whispered in her ear.

"Yeah, and I love you too, dad," she replied with a giggle.

Beaming from ear to ear with fatherly love, he kissed El on the head lightly, before reclining back into his pillow. At last he could rest, feeling his consciousness slip away, but rather into thoughts of Joyce Byers, this time he could just think about how he was the luckiest father in the world, and that he did.

That he did.


End file.
